Our fucked up medical system stikes again ..... I'm asking for your thoughts on this .....

[Stinky The Clown]

I spoke earlier today with a dear, dear friend. He is 61 and just found out he has prostate cancer. It was caught early and is the classic slow growing variety ...... the kind they tell older guys to simply monitor. My friend is youthful and vigorous.

He also found out, upon calling his insurance company, that he is essentially fucked. They won't cover the surgery and the cost will be $55,000. Don't bother with suggestions about how to deal with the insurance company. Suffice to say that path has been followed and he has no more recourse.

So ...... here are the choices he seems to have:

Pay the bux out of pocket and then face the next years with a substantial part of his modest savings gone. The old Cat Food/Hemlock debate.

Go to India where he can have the surgery done for about $10,000. More financially palatable, but he fears the quality of medical care.

Just put it off a few years until he can get on Medicare. And hope for the best.

I have no clue what the best option of the three might be.

I am ashamed of my generation for allowing it to get this bad. When we were young, we were a powerhouse that effected real change. Then we got middle aged and lazy and complacent and just fucking stupid. Maybe, in our golden years, we can do some good again. Like take over AARP and make them REALLY represent old people.

And I miss Claude Pepper. (<----- Trivia Question for the people who got this far in my post)